Plating fixture



Jan. 23, 1945. J. w. WANNER PLATING FIXTURE Filed Feb. 16, 1942[IVVENTUR JosePd \J. WANNER Zz's ATTUZZ/VEYE Patented Jan. 23, 1945 PLAIiNG FIXTURE Joseph W. -Wa'n'ner. 'DaytonpOhi'o, 'assignor to GeneralMotors Corporation, Detroit,'Mich.,, a corporation of Delaware.A'pplic'ation February 16, 1942, Serial N0.f4 31,1 27

'2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in devices for suspending tubularmembers and is particularly adapted for use in the plating art wheretubular members are to be suspended in a plating bath.

like.

reaching the interior of the tube.

of the tubular member is to beplated.

shown.

In the drawing:

vice of the present invention.

ing device of the present thereto.

along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

ing a liquid 2|.

outer surface thereof will be plated.

One of the objects of the present invention is nular edge secured to theflange 32. to provide a hanger for a tubularmemberwhich stud 31 isthreadedly received by the nut 3 I, said may be applied quickl andwithout the necessity stud having, a head portion 38 secured thereto oftools such as screw drivers, wrenches or the or being formed integraltherewith. At the out- 10 er endof the screw stud3l there is secured aAnother object of the present invention isto hook member 39 by means ofwhich the stud provide a hanger which contacts only the inside and nutassembly may be attached to the elecsurface 'of the tubular member andwill not mar trode rod 22 as shown in Fig. l. A sealing gasits finish.as it is urged into gripping and good ket 35 is placed between themember 34 and the current conducting engagement therewith. annularedgeof the tubular member 30.

A still further object of the invention is to A plurality of discs 40,perforated centrally, provide a tube suspending device which is arecarried by the screw stud 31 between the adapted to close and seal theend of the tubular head portion 38 of the stud and the nut-flange memberto prevent the plating solution from 32. Each disc is dished convexedlyrelatively This is esto the nut-flange 32 and'is made of any suitablepecially desirable when only the outside surface comparativelynon-abrasive, resilient metal such as for instance copper.

Further objects and advantages of the prestend "from the outer edge ofsaid disc and terent invention will be apparent from the followminateshort of the centerfthereof. ing description, reference being had to theacstacked relation on the screw stud, the radial companying drawingwherein a preferred emslots 'of each adjacent disc are not in alignment,bodiment of the present invention is clearly but are staggeredrelatively to each other so as to impede the passage of fluid throughthe stack.

Fig. l is a fragmentary view of a plating tank Normally, that is, whenthe several discs of Showing a e suspended therein by the dea stack arefully relaxed and dished, the outer diameter of the stack is less thanthe inside di- Fig. 2 is a longitudinal, sectional view of a tuameter ofthe tubular member with which said bular member having the suspendingand sealstack is to be used. However, after the stack,

invention applied with the stud and nut, has been inserted in the tubeas shown in Fig. 2, operation of the nut 31 Fig. 3 is a transversesectional view taken and its flange 32 on the stud 31 toward headportion 38 causes the annular ridge 33 of the Referring to the drawingthe numeral 20 flange to exert a pressure upon the stack of designates aportion of a plating tank containdiscs 40 which, resting upon the headportion The rod 22, passing longitudi- 38 of the screw stud will beflattened and as nally over the tank 20, provides one of the electheyare flattened, the discs will grippingly en trodes from which the tubesto be plated are gage the inner annular Wall of the tubular memsuspended by the device of the present invenber 30 permitting it to besuspended in the plattion. As illustrated in Fig. 1, the tubular memingbath by the hook portion 39 provided on the ber 30 is not completelimmersed in liquid 2|. screw stud 31.

Therefore the portion of the member not im- The engagement of theperipheral edges of mersed will not be plated. A sealing cover is thediscs 40 with the inner wall of the tubular also provided at the bottomend of the tubular member 30 provides for good current conducmember 30,said cover preventing the fluid 2| tivity between the hanger assembly,suspended from entering the member whereby only the from the electrode22 and the tubular member 30 immersed in the plating bath 2|.

Fig. 2 shows the suspending and sealing mem- The sealing cover asillustrated in Fig. 2 combers of the device applied to the tubularmember prises a disc 5|] having an annular ridge 5| on 30. Thesuspending portion of the device as 5 illustrated comprises a nut 31having a flange 32 attached thereto as shown, orit may be integraltherewith. The flange 32 has an annular ridge .33 on its surfaceopposite the nut 31. A cup-shaped operating member 34 has its one an- Ascrew Radial slots 4| ex- When in its inner surface. A central openingin the disc 50, receives a screw stud 52 having a head 53 and a nut 5'1thereon adjacent its outer surface. Between the head 53 and the inner,ridged surface of the disc 50, a stack of centrally periorated discs 55such as have been described above, are provided, A sealing gasket orring 56, of any suitable sealing material such as rubber or Duprene (asealing material well known in the art and procurable on the openmarket) is provided on an annular shelf 51 of the disc 50 so that saidgasket aligns and may contact with the edge of. the tubular member 30.

When the assembly is placed in position on the tubular member, the stackof discs 55, smaller in diameter than the tube enter the tube. Screwingup of the nut 54 on screw stud 52 draws the head portion 53 toward thedisc 50 thereby flattening the dished discs of the stack and causing theperipheral edges of the discs to grip the inner wall of the tubularmember. As soon as the discs come into gripping contact with the tubularmember continued turning of the nut 54 will urge the cover disc 50toward the tube thereby causing the shelf 51 of the cover disc 50 tocompress the sealing gasket between the said shelf and the adjacent edgeof the tubular member which completely seals this end of the tubeagainst the entry of any fluid into the tube. A sealing gasket 58 isplaced about the screw stud 52 between the cover disc 50 and a metalwasher 59 on the nut.

If the tubular member is to be plated throughout its entire length ofoutside surface it should be entirely immersed in the plating liquid 2|.To prevent entry of the fluid, member 34 is an integral circular membersecured to the flange 32. A sealing. gasket may be placed between theoutwardly extending flange of this cup-shaped member and the adjacentannular edge of the tubular member so that said gasket will be drawninto sealing engagement with said tube edge upon operation of the nut 3|to flatten the discs 40 thereby preventing the entry of liquid at thispoint. A suitable sealing washer as shown in connection with screw stud52 may be provided on the screw stud 31.

From the aforegoing it may clearly be seen that applicant has provided asealing hanger for tubular members which may be easily and quicklyattached without use of any special tools and which securely carries thetubular member and seals it against the entry or a liquid into its interior. The device is so constructed that no parts perishable in aplating bath are used thereby permitting the device to be used again andagain without any special attention being required thereby facilitatingproduction and eliminating waste.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed,constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other formsmight be adopted, all coming within the scope of the cla ms whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A hanger for a tubular member comprising in combination an inflexibleplate; a nut on said plate; a screw-stud extending through the plate andinto said nut, said stud having a head portion on the side of the plateopposite the nut; a stack of centrally perforated discs on said studbetween the head portion thereof and the plate, said discs being dishedconvexedly relatively to the plate and having radial slots whereby whensaid-discs are inserted into a tube and the nut operated to draw thehead of the screw stud toward it said discs will be flattened causingtheir peripheral edges grippingly to engage the inner wall of thetubular member; and a hook member threadedly received by the screw studat its outer end.

2. A hanger for a tubular member comprising in combination, a nut havinga disc-like flange provided with an annular ridge; a screw in said nut,said screw having a hook at its outer end and ahead at the opposite endwhich extends from the ridged side of the nut-flange; a stack ofcentrally perforated discs on said screw between the head thereof andthe flange of the nut, said discs being radially slotted and beingdished convexedly relatively to the flange of the nut, whereby operationof the nut toward the head of the screw causes the stack of discs to beclamped between the screw head and the ridge 0n the nut flange andflattened so that the peripheral edges 'of the discs engage and grip theinner surface of the tube in which the hanger was inserted.

JOSEPH W. WANNER.

